Bob Geldof says it would be an enormous privilege to succeed Michael D Higgins as president of Ireland

It’s believed Geldof is now considering seeking the support of local councils to run as an Independent candidate, and speaking on Newstalk this morning, he said that it was only during a recent phone call with Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin that he learned that Former Dublin Football manager Jim Gavin is their preferred candidate.

He told the Irish Independent it would be an "enormous privilege" to succeed Michael D Higgins and that he is still considering getting the backing of local authorities.

Meanwhile, Fine Gael is expected to confirm their candidate for the election later today, but its expected that Heather Humphreys will be confirmed as their choice to succeed Michael D Higgins.

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Heather Humphreys.

This comes after MEP and former GAA President Sean Kelly "reluctantly" withdrew from the race for a second time.

Independent Candidate Catherine Connolly is so far the only person with a nomination, meaning she is officially in the running.

It remains to be seen if Geldof can muster enough support to run as an independent in the race for Áras an Uachtaráin, but he certainly adds color and intrigue to the contest.

* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.